Charles e



E. BILLINGS.

Pistol and Sword.

Patented S t; 22

N. PETERS. Maia-Lithographer, Washington. D. C.

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Letters Patent No. 82,279, dated September 22, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN COMBINED PISTOL AND SWGRD.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. BILLINGS, of Springfield, in the county of Hampden, and State'of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Construction of Defensive Weapons; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description of the construction andoperation of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and to the'letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in the special construction and arrangement of 'the operative parts of a breech-loading pistol, whereby they are adapted to be entirely enclosed within and, connected to the handle of a knife or sword, and whereby" the barrel, also contained within the handle, may be with facility swung out from the handle, to be supplied with its cartridge, and swung into place and locked, preparatory to firing.

In the drawings, A represents the barrel of the pistol, which is entirely enclosed'and concealed within the handle. This barrel forms part of the same piece which constitutes the lower guard of the handle, and it is pivoted, so as to swing as shown by dotted lines. B represents the hammer; C, the main lock-spring, the forward end of which is firmly embedded in the shank of the sword-blade, and the free end of which is connected by a short link to the hammer. D represents the sere', pivoted as shown, to the forward end of which is attached the trigger E, and having at its rear end a hook, to engage with the notches in the hammer, a spring,;plainly shown in the drawings, serving to-insure this engagement as the hammer is turned. F represents a sliding piece or catch, which, when pushed inwards against a spring-catch lever, unlocks the barrel for the purpose of allowing it to be loaded, a spring, which constantly bears upon the inner side of the barrel when closed, at such stage quickly swinging the barrel outward. When'the barrel is swung back in place, a tooth on the end of the catchlever engages in a nick in the barrel, and retains it in place. G represents the breech, or that part of the handle which receives the recoil upon the discharge of the piece. H is a metallic cartridge, its position, as shown in the drawing, indicating the place where it is i'nserted'in the'barre], and its position relative to the hammer. K indicates the point of the hammer, which passes throughthe breech G, in order to reach the fulminate of the cartridge. L represents the shank of the knife-blade, and the manner in which it is secured to the handle.

The barrel being made so as not to project beyond the forward end of the handle, enables me at that point 7 to pivot and swing it, for the purpose of loading it at its rear end. This could-not be if the barrel projectedbeyond the handle, inasmuch as the'position of the knife would prevent it; nor would it be desirable, if even it were practicable, to pivot a barrel at this point to the handle in rear of the guard; because, if the lower guard were stationary whilst the barrel was arranged to swing, there would be danger that after every discharge the bore of the barrel might not bebrought precisely to coincide with the corresponding bore in the guard, and through which the ball must pass, and this would largely increase the liability to accidents, as well as tend to check or divert the balljust as it would leave the weapch.

It is evidently, therefore, necessary that the bore be continuous, and that the barrel be so hinged or pivoted as to render unnecessary any additional side pieces or bearings upon the handle, which should be preserved, as nearly as possible, in the usual form of a sword or knife-handle, and in hinging it, as I have shown and described, it will be seen that the greatest simplicity has been combined: with the greatest practical efliciency.

By reason of extending the shank of thesword but partially through the handle, its end afiords a. fit and firm support for the main lock-spring, which can thus be sustained, as shown, in a slot cut in its end, thus utilizing it, without the need of crowding, within the limited space attainable within the handle, any special piece to receive the spring. The location and form of this shank also are such, that space is allowed between it and the upper side of the handle, for a lever or sere, D, extending the whole length of the handle, so that whilst its rearend may properly engage wilih the hammer, its forward end-may, with its trigger, occupy a position such that when the hand grasps the handle, the thumb naturally comes to the proper place to act upon the trigger The operation of loading is performed by holding the knife or sword by its handle horizontally, in front of the operator, his thumb resting on the trigger, and the fingers resting lightly against the barrel, butnot reaching over it. Upon touching the piece'F with the finger of the left vhand, and pressing it inwards gently, the catch which holds the barrel to its place in the handle is at once released, and the barrel is instantly thrown or swung outward, ready to receive its cartridge, by force of the spring previously mentioned. Upon swinging the barrel back again, it is automatically locked, and the hammer being new pulled back and the piece cooked, it is discharged by grasping the handle and pressing the trigger E with the thumb.

The lines of the knife, or the guard, afi'ord a means for taking a proper aim in firing the piece, whilst the weightof the blade assists materially in properly posing the weapon, especially as the barrel does not project beyond the handle, and the latter, in the act of firing, is almost entirely within the grasp of the hand.

I am aware that a sword and pistol have been combined together, and also that in such a weapon, though otherwise differently constructed and operating, the barrel has been located entirely within the handle.

1. I claim the constructionof the lower guard of the sword-hilt and the pistol-barrel in one and the same piece, and pivoting the same to the extreme forward end of the handle, substantially asiand for the purposes set forth.

7 2. Iclaim the combination of the main lock-spring C of the pistolwith the shan former is secured in a slot in the latter, as and for the purpose described.

3. I claim the arrangement, with the knife-handle and pistol-hammer, of the trigger-lever D, extending the length of the handle, and having athumb-trigger at its forward end, all substantially as shown and described.

CHARLES E. BILLINGS.

k of the knife, when the Witnesses:

B. Hosroan, A. O. OULVER. 

